1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stackable crate for holding beverage bottles. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a stackable crate that includes constant diameter pockets for receiving and securely holding beverage bottles.
2. Description of Related Art
Beverages such as soft drinks are typically packaged in plastic bottles. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a favored material for such bottles due to its high strength, flexibility, and low cost. Conventional PET bottles, when filled with a beverage, can bear high compressive loads up to many times the total weight of the bottle and beverage, provided that the load is distributed along the symmetry axis of the bottle and provided that the bottle is maintained in a sufficiently upright position. However, when an off-axis compressive load is applied to the bottles, they have a tendency to buckle.
A variety of cases used for shipping and storing beverage bottles are known in the art. Typically, the cases are stacked on top of each other on pallets where they can then be loaded onto trucks or other means of transportation and shipped to a bottler. The bottler then loads each case with several bottles and then stacks the cases one on top of the other so that the cases can be shipped to retailers. Conventional bottle cases are typically low depth cases with four side walls, a flat bottom portion, and a number of upwardly projecting columns. The columns, walls, and bottom portion define a bottle-retaining pocket. Typically, the columns of conventional cases are hollow, angled toward the interior of the crate, and tapered to be smaller in cross section at the top and larger near the bottom, which facilitates stacking of the cases. These conventional cases generally have been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose.
However, these conventional low depth cases with tapered columns may not provide sufficient support to the bottles to allow the cases to be stacked in a stable and secure manner. There remains a need in the art for a beverage case that is capable of securely holding a wide variety of bottles so that the cases can be stacked and shipped safely. The present invention provides a solution to these problems.